A ruling worth a read!    Air India does pass on data to the U.S. At the time of making a booking, details of passport have to be given. And the recent Air India move to look at a biometric passenger information system is aimed at this. Passing on advance date to the U.S.            

EU airline data deal with US blocked 11.34AM, Tue May 30 2006

An EU deal to share airline passenger data with the US has been branded illegal by the European Court of Justice.

The US insisted the transfer of personal details was essential in the fight against terrorism, but the Court - backed by the European Parliament - says it has no basis in law and infringes fundamental rights.

However, the ruling will have no immediate impact on transatlantic air travel and the European Commission and member states have been given four months to find a solution.

Under the May 2004 EU-US agreement, European airlines have been obliged to give US authorities 34 items of information on passengers flying to the States, including name, address, all forms of payment and contact telephone numbers.

The US pledged to seek a temporary way forward with the EU and said summer transatlantic air traffic should not be disrupted, nor security lowered.

"We have had prior discussions with the Commission and agreed we will be using our best efforts to find an agreed interim approach to data transfers that fully respects the court's ruling," a spokesman for the US Mission to the European Union said.

"We remain strongly committed to the protection of personal privacy," he added.

European airlines played down the impact of the ruling, saying there should be no short-term effect on travellers.

"What we understand is that it has been ruled out on a technicality and the Commission has been given the opportunity to find another legal basis to satisfy the court," said David Henderson, a spokesman for the Association of European Airlines.

Experts say the agreement could be reintroduced on a different basis in law or individual member states could conclude bilateral pacts with the US instead.